The government has announced that seven private and public housing estates will take part in a waste charging pilot scheme.
Three versions -- based on either weight or volume -- will be tried in the coming six months.
But each estate will be free to decide on the trial charging level -- or even whether to ask the residents to pay at all.
The government's suggestion is to charge HK$500 for each tonne of waste by weight, or 10 cents for one litre of rubbish by volume.
But the Secretary for the Enviornment, Wong Kam-sing, stressed that the money would not go to the government.
He said the point of the scheme was only to gain more practical experience.
The results of the pilot scheme will be referred to the Sustainable Development Council, for it to make further suggestions to the government in future. --RTHK